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December 2, 2008 2:27 pm at 2:27 pm #588786heimesheyidMember
Does anyone have good advice on budgeting. I find between food, tuition costs, and misc., even with the decent job that I have it’s hard to make it.
December 2, 2008 3:43 pm at 3:43 pm #626854tzippiMemberHatzlacha. I hope that a good budget will help you find the money you need. Unfortunately, there are many people out here who are living simply who still, can’t make it and I hope you won’t be one of them.
December 2, 2008 5:51 pm at 5:51 pm #626855charlie brownMemberheimisheyid,
tzippi is unfortunately right. Budgeting alone does not always make the expenses become less than the income. Sometimes you need to figure out a way to increase the income in addition to decreasing the espenses. Its not that easy though. Maybe your wife can get a job, maybe you can find a higher paying job, start a side business or get a part time job for the evenings or sundays etc.
I’m not trying to downplay budgeting though. No matter how much money a person makes it will never be enough if they don’t budget.
December 2, 2008 7:43 pm at 7:43 pm #626856intellegentMemberI find that I have a hard time budgeting when it comes to food because I am not good at prices. In other words. I am not always sure what foods are expensive and which are cheap. So I may decide to use food B instead of food A because food A is expensive and I don’t realize that food B is more expensive! Can someone explain which are the “cheap foods” and which are the expensive ones that should be used sparingly?
December 2, 2008 11:09 pm at 11:09 pm #626857brooklyn19Participantintellegent – easy. the more healthy a food is, the more it will cost you. i guess junk doesn’t cost much because in case you haven’t noticed, they throw it in for free! so when you’re standing on line at the supermarket just take a quick glance and make sure you only have junk in your cart. but like everything else, there are costs and benefits. chances are your doctor visits will go up…
December 3, 2008 12:35 am at 12:35 am #626858halavaiMemberWhen it comes to food, shopping smart can really cut costs. ALWAYS make a list before you go, and stick to it- this cuts your chances of buying extra items. When making your list, do it by going through your fridge and pantry first, checking up on what is finished or almost finished (if you have 2 eggs left, add eggs to your list; if you have 9, maybe not). Also, stock up on non-perishables, especially if the prices of those items tend to fluctuate, like flour and sugar. Go shopping only once a week, and make sure you get everything you will need for the coming week- running out to buy something you forgot several times a week can add up, as the more time you spend in the store, the more likely you are to buy stuff simply because you saw it on the shelf and thought you needed it. Also, consider eating only milchigs during the week, saving fleishigs for Shabbos. Most importantly, keep last week’s shopping receipt, so that you can look it over this week and see where your money went and if you can trim further. Hope this helps.
December 3, 2008 2:55 am at 2:55 am #626859anon for thisParticipantintellegent,
One good idea is to buy fruits and vegetables in season when possible. They will be cheaper and taste better.
December 3, 2008 11:14 am at 11:14 am #626860Mrs. BeautifulMemberI dont know how practical it is only to eat Milichigs during the week besides cheese products are not cheap (fish not either). I do think though, leftovers can be turned into other supper dishes thereby throwing out less. Heimishe Yid, Know that u r not alone in this, many pple are looking where to cut corners.
December 3, 2008 1:35 pm at 1:35 pm #626861tzippiMemberHalavai, you must either have a very small family or people with egg sensitivities. When I’m down to my last 9 eggs you can be sure I’m shopping – that’s just about enough for 2 nine by 13 potato kugels 😉
December 3, 2008 4:11 pm at 4:11 pm #626862tikva68MemberIn order to cut costs we mainly eat parve meals during the week. chicken and/ or fish only on Shabbat.
December 3, 2008 4:45 pm at 4:45 pm #626863SJSinNYCMemberTzippi, you eat a lot of eggs! We go through about a dozen a month (but we dont eat too many kugels – I like my veggies in a more natural state).
Also, find out if anyone you know has a costco membership – certain things are much cheaper there (but you have to know prices). Cottage cheese is really cheap. Remember though things come in big tubs so you have to go through a lot. Colored peppers are REALLY cheap there (I think red/yellow/orange are $1.99/lb) but you have to look at the packages. Some come from Israel (others are holland or mexico).
December 3, 2008 6:36 pm at 6:36 pm #626864tzippiMemberI don’t know if I eat so many eggs myself but I do bake a lot, and we can easily go through some kugels on Shabbos (OK, and as a midafternoon snack erev Shabbos).
About cheap colored peppers: when they get to that price, I don’t buy them (or maybe one for a special Shabbos salad). I don’t call that cheap. When certain foods hit certain prices, we simply don’t buy them. Unless they’re staples, like sugar, flour, oil, eggs, etc. Of course the definition of staple varies. If for whatever reason colored pepper is a staple for you then kol hakavod for finding the cheapest place.
And about cottage cheese: cottage cheese freezes well so it might be worth freezing the cottage cheese in smaller portions.
December 3, 2008 6:42 pm at 6:42 pm #626865JAPPMemberINSTEAD OF BUYING BAGELS GO FOR BREAD,also a major part of budgeting includes finding the type of store that caters to the large family type like Costco
December 3, 2008 6:53 pm at 6:53 pm #626866SJSinNYCMembertzippi, arent colored peppers $3.99 at most grocery stores? I dont buy peppers very often, but the green ones are harsher in flavor so when I do I get colored ones at Cotsco. I usually splurge on peppers for special dinners or special company!
There are very few staples in our house – I dont bake that much (except for challah) and we are very flexible with what we eat. There is virtually nothing we cant live without if the price gets too high.
December 3, 2008 7:08 pm at 7:08 pm #626867anon for thisParticipanttzippi,
I’ve never thought of freezing cottage cheese. That’s a neat idea. Do you freeze it in the original container? If so, is expansion a problem? How long does it keep that way?
December 3, 2008 8:51 pm at 8:51 pm #626868tzippiMemberCottage cheese – expansion’s not a problem. And if you’re getting a huge amount, like I assume a Costco container is, I’d dish it into zipper bags or the like. And as far as how long it keeps, everyone who knows me knows that one of my secret ingredients is freezer burn 😉 Seriously, no complaints, especially if I use it in say a lasagna.
About the pepper: you’re right, it is expensive, but when you can get it for half that sale price just a few months earlier, paying even $2/lb is painful.
December 3, 2008 9:42 pm at 9:42 pm #626869SJSinNYCMemberSour cream freezes well too! I found some on sale recently at shoprite for $1.29 and used a 60 cents off coupon (that doubled to 1.20) so 9 cents per container. I’m saving them for cheesecake 🙂
Yogurt also freezes well.
December 3, 2008 10:35 pm at 10:35 pm #626870anon for thisParticipantThanks for the quick reply Tzippi.
SJSinNYC, do you just put the whole container in the freezer without opening it first? And do you think the sour cream would be ok to eat plain, not just as an ingredient? Also, just a nosy question–was that Daisy sour cream? Because the cashiers at my SR are coupon cops & press the “don’t double” key because the coupon said “don’t double”, even though it started with a 5.
Another money-saving idea is to freeze berries in the summer when they’re cheap. Just rinse, drain, and spread them out in a single layer on a cookie sheet, then put them in a zipper bag when they’re frozen. That way they are individually frozen & you can take out as many as you need. I did this with blueberries this summer when they were less than $1.50/ pt.
December 4, 2008 1:39 am at 1:39 am #626871SJSinNYCMemberAnon I just put the whole container in. And yes, it was daisy and they doubled the coupons. You have literate cashiers? Mine always just scan, scan, scan! (the best kind of course LOL). I cant imagine it would be bad using it plain – maybe it would be a little watery? Next time I need sour cream I’ll try and let you know.
December 4, 2008 1:57 am at 1:57 am #626872havesomeseichelMemberWhat is with coupons starting with a 5?
What stores double in Flatbush area?
Where can you pick up grocery coupons? I am new to the area and do not know these things. I also am not on many mailing lists for coupons so I do not find out about these deals…
Thanks!
December 4, 2008 4:12 am at 4:12 am #626873mazal77ParticipantI don’t think any stores in flatbush or anywhere in Brooklyn for that matter, do double coupons (a most unfortunate thing). Coupons are usually available in the Sunday papers. You can also try calling or emailing companies to send coupons on products you frequently use. They usually are more then happy to send to customers.
December 4, 2008 4:48 am at 4:48 am #626874anon for thisParticipantSJSinNYC,
My SR read coupons very carefully (there’s a sign at the register that says to hand them over at the beginning of the transaction), but at least they take printables. I don’t shop there that often because they’re so strict it just feels a little stressful, but on some items they have the best regular prices and sometimes the best sales. My regular grocery store is much more coupon-friendly though.
havesomeseichel,
Nearly all coupons have a number code & matching bar code at the bottom. The first digit is always a 5 or a 9. If it’s a 5 then the coupon will double by default (if your store doubles coupons & according to their doubling policy) even if the coupon says “do not double” on the top. If it’s a 9 the coupon won’t double in any case.
December 7, 2008 7:35 pm at 7:35 pm #626875halavaiMembertzippi- I just don’t use eggs so much in my cooking for health reasons.
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